Samuel Dalembert, Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis—this is not what the Mavs had in mind when they entered the offseason. And so we will start this week’s edition of Throwin’ Elbows with an immodest proposal:

Now that what once seemed impossible to Celtics fans—Paul Pierce in another team’s uniform—has become a reality, it is a good time to consider what the guy drafted one pick ahead of Pierce would look like elsewhere. That would be Dirk Nowitzki, and though there are no indications that a trade of the league’s best-known German is nigh, a Dirk Deal would no doubt be in the best interest of all involved.

Nowitzki just turned 35, and though he is still an elite player, age will catch up to him eventually. The Mavs obviously respect what Nowitzki has done for the franchise and wanted to give him another title chance. It’s not happening in Dallas, though.

The best thing for all involved would be a new home for Nowitzki, who is a free agent next summer. Nowitzki would have a chance to be with a contender—or at least a better team than Dallas—and the Mavs could bottom out and be near the top of the lottery in next year’s well-stocked draft.

Of course, it is much easier to propose the trade of a superstar than to execute one, and ultimately, that is what would sink a Dirk deal. To trade Nowitzki, the Mavs would need to get back some young assets or draft picks, while still protecting cap space, and accomplishing all of those while getting Nowitzki to a good team isn’t easy.

The Bulls would be an ideal fit, but Chicago would have to give up favorite forward Luol Deng, whose contract expires this year. Add Kirk Hinrich, a throw-in player, a draft pick and/or the rights to rising European star Nikola Mirotic, and that’s a good haul for Dallas. Fans might expect more, but fans aren’t always realistic.

Other Eastern Conference teams with playoff aspirations make sense, too. If the Pistons—eager to win now—would give up Andre Drummond, say, they could trot out a frontcourt of Josh Smith, Nowitzki and Greg Monroe, which would bump them up in the East. The Mavs would have to take back Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stuckey, of course, but both contracts are expiring. Dallas could take a draft pick, fall hard next year and cross their fingers for Andrew Wiggins.

There are possibilities out there for Nowitzki trades, if not to legit contenders, then at least to teams with decent prospects. To Boston for Rajon Rondo and Kris Humphries? To the Lakers for Pau Gasol? To Washington for Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza and Bradley Beal?

The facts of how the Mavericks got here—with trading Nowitzki as the best option—are pretty stark. After the 2011 championship, the Mavericks front office decided the team would be better off breaking up the roster and focusing on cap flexibility, a must-have in the world that was to be created by the new collective bargaining agreement. It started with letting Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea walk in free agency, and has gone on from there.

The Mavs have been duly drubbed for that decision, but it wasn’t a bad idea—it’s a first-class organization that free agents should seek out in droves. But there were not that many free agents out there, and the ones that were simply didn’t go for Dallas’ pitch. They missed on Deron Williams last year, and couldn’t get Chris Paul and/or Dwight Howard this summer.

If it had worked out, we’d take a much different view of what the Mavs did. Houston similarly cleared out space, and while the Rockets wound up with James Harden and Howard and have received praise, the Mavs got nothing and have received scorn. Them’s the breaks.

It’s a longshot that Nowitzki follows the footsteps of Pierce. And credit Dallas for making the effort to think big and find a star player to pair with him. But the effort has failed, and it would now be better for everyone to make a change.

Bulls' plans for Mirotic on hold

Having mentioned Nikola Mirotic, it is worth noting that he would be a very difficult guy to pry from the Bulls, who have big plans for him. Mirotic is just 22 and was the Spanish League MVP, which basically means he was the best player in the best league outside the NBA. He averaged 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 23.9 minutes for Real Madrid.

Mirotic is a big part of the reason why the Bulls would be unlikely to consider a trade of Joakim Noah for LaMarcus Aldirdge, as has been rumored. Ultimately, the Bulls want Mirotic to replace Carlos Boozer, hopefully starting in 2014-’15—a prospect made difficult by his contract in Spain, which has a large buyout through ’16.

But if the Bulls can pay Mirotic enough to have him pay the buyout himself (because it will be three years since he had been drafted, Mirotic won’t be tied to the NBA’s rookie salary scale), they will get a versatile big man who shot 41.7 percent from the 3-point line in Spain last year, and his perimeter shooting would pair nicely with Noah’s frenetic interior play.

“He has a big-time skill set,” one scout said. “When they drafted him (in 2011), it was hard to tell how he would develop, if he would bulk up and become a useful big man or if he was going to stay on the perimeter and be a Bargnani-type. But he has come along really nicely, he is an effort guy and he has made big leaps in terms of what he can do in the post.”

Yet another Nikola

One of the great mysteries of the offseason remains Nikola Pekovic and the Timberwolves. It is inevitable at this point that Pekovic will return to Minnesota, which offered him a deal worth about $50 million over four years. There’s no more cap space available out there, so Pekovic isn’t about to get a better offer.

And why should he? Pekovic was excellent last season, averaging 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 52.0 percent shooting, but he struggled (again) with ankle injuries and, even when healthy, is not an elite player. The maximum Pekovic could get is four years and $58.5 million, and in that context, $50 million is fairly generous.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told NBA TV that the team would be meeting with Pekovic’s agent next week in order to resolve the standoff. Pekovic’s camp must be careful not to overplay their hand—the Wolves could pull their current offer altogether if they wanted, and Pekovic would not have many options.

(This, by the way, marks the first time two guys named “Nikola” have been referenced in this space.)